Pop Culture Processing
I don’t listen to nearly as much pop music as I used to. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, or maybe my musical tastes have simply changed over time. That said, one of the biggest pop artists right now is Olivia Rodrigo. Many of my teenage clients enjoy her music, and I’ll admit, I sometimes get a little FOMO wondering what all the hype is about. While I haven’t listened to her entire album, her current top song on Spotify is “The Cure.” If it’s resonating with so many listeners, I figured it was worth exploring the message behind it.
Unrealistic Expectations
Before I go any further, I’m not necessarily recommending the song itself. What caught my attention was its central theme: the realization that falling in love won’t heal our deepest insecurities. Another person’s love isn’t the cure for the internal struggles we carry. Throughout the song, the narrator wrestles with the hope that a relationship might be the antidote to her pain. By the end, however, she recognizes that someone else’s affection can’t heal her deepest wounds. I think that’s an important realization.
There is no “perfect person” who will magically make all of our struggles disappear. Healthy relationships can absolutely be supportive, meaningful, and even healing in many ways, but they were never designed to carry the full weight of our emotional well-being. That’s simply too much to ask of another person. Although this is just a pop song meant for entertainment, I think it reflects a belief that has quietly woven itself into our culture: If I could just find the right person, everything would finally be okay. That’s a heavy expectation for anyone to live up to.
A Better Way Forward
Thankfully, the song ends with a shift in perspective. The narrator realizes that healing can’t be outsourced. Being human means carrying wounds. While that may sound cliché, it’s also true. We can convince ourselves that relationships, success, work, achievements, or even substances will finally fill the emptiness we feel inside. Yet, time and again, we discover that those things can’t do the deeper work our hearts need. Maybe it’s a little funny that a therapist is writing a blog post analyzing a pop song—but I think it highlights a struggle many of us share. We all look for something outside ourselves to make us feel whole. Real healing often begins when we’re willing to look inward instead.
If this resonates with you, and you’ve noticed yourself placing the weight of your happiness on a relationship, career, achievement, or something else outside of yourself, counseling can be a great place to start. Together, we can identify the roots of your pain, set meaningful goals, and help you begin writing a healthier, more hopeful story for your life.
